When it comes to keeping that great job or positioning yourself for a promotion, "the learners will inherit the future," says David Copenhaver. He's the conferencing and collaboration manager for the Pacific Southwest for New Jersey-based Avaya Communication, the business set to be spun off Sept. 30 from Lucent Technologies. Of Avaya's 34,000 employees, about 150 will work in the San Diego operation.

Copenhaver's work involves the video portion of video conferencing that companies use for board meetings or distance learning sessions. Copenhaver has personal experience with distance learning. Several years ago, he taught a graduate course through Webster University, connecting 30 students in San Diego with 15 others in Kansas City.

Avaya encourages its employees to advance their education and provides tuition reimbursement, says Charlie Lyon, district sales manager.

Enrolled now in the master's e-commerce program at National University, Copenhaver says with advances in technology and rapidly changing job duties, "learning is as much a part of work as work itself. If you’re not re-educated every 10 years, you won’t be able to compete."

His views are shared by many employers, educators and those in the employment industry. To keep a job or advance, a "very positive, can-do attitude" is a must. So is a "willingness to learn," says Phil Blair, executive officer for Manpower Staffing Service. Blair says employers want him to refer applicants with smiles on their faces and a willingness to work. Employers will train those people. To advance careers, people should be "willing to get an MBA, certification, to stay on top of a subject," says Blair.

Regular visits to the classroom also are endorsed by Judy Thompson. She heads Judy Thompson & Associates, a financial executive search firm serving accounting and finance professionals. Thompson reommends clients keep current personally through programs like Toastmasters, and professionally through courses on subjects such as technological systems. An enthusiastic approach to work affects promotability, too, Thompson says. "Companies look at whether people come up with ideas — if they're proactive, not reactive."

A mentor also can boost a career. The mentor is not necessarily the boss and could be someone else in the company, a trusted business associate, a corporate coach or a good recruiter. "Always try to learn from people who have more experience than you do," advises Thompson.

Laarni Grospe knows the wisdom of that advice. She has been promoted each of her four years at Nokia, where "continuous learning" is a company value. Nokia provides learning opportunities onsite and externally, says Grospe. "I have found that great leadership is another means of gaining valued knowledge," she says. "I have advanced to new positions each year. The reason is that I have been blessed with great managers. They have provided me the guidance needed to be successful in my role and the freedom to learn things in the way that best suits me."

Margaret Karnyski, manager of Nokia San Diego’s learning center, coordinates continuing education for employees. Nokia offers tuition reimbursement, and distance learning is provided through National Technology University. Internal training and a biannual performance evaluation are other learning tools. During an evaluation, the manager and employee discuss a development plan that includes career goals.

Being computer savvy is important to success, says Tom Porter, president and chief executive officer of Omni Express Personnel. Porter says employers are eager to hire people with an understanding of e-commerce and web-commerce solutions. Knowledgeable employees will be "tremendously valuable" during the next decade, says Porter. "The growth is just exploding. Companies are desperate for these kind of people; they're turning to outside consultants on a regular basis." Omni Express has an information technology consulting division, and Porter says the demand will continue. He recommends enrolling in courses related to the Internet and e-commerce.

Continuing education is a workplace reality for many careers, one recognized by employers and universities. Many have entered partnerships to bring a range of courses to the workplace. For example, the Downtown Merrill Lynch boardroom is the site of San Diego State University courses for employees aspiring to become certified financial planners. By mid-July, 25 employees had completed the program of graduate-level financial planning courses. Another 10 were close to finishing, reports Tom Warschauer, SDSU finance professor.

The enrollment reflects the convenience of taking courses at work. The Merrill Lynch day starts at 6:30 a.m., so it would be difficult for employees to attend evening courses on a campus, says Quinton Ellis, senior resident vice president. Instead, employees "walked down the hall at 2 p.m." for courses. "The university was willing to send qualified faculty for two days a week, and a larger number completed the program," says Ellis, who also was a participant.

At Sempra Energy's Downtown office, National University courses are among the educational offerings. Currently, 40 students take courses at work for bachelor's and master's degrees in business administration, says Charlene Ashton, Sempra learning center manager.

The center is open to the 1,200 Sempra employees. Ashton and three certified learning specialists teach continuing education courses on topics ranging from netiquette, or Internet etiquette, to a course for new supervisors covering such topics as team building. Spanish classes are taught during lunch, after work and at 6 a.m. for early birds.

Ashton hopes to expand the learning center so that employees can earn college credit for courses. Another goal is to provide continuing education courses for professionals. Sempra Energy, the parent company of San Diego Gas & Electric Co. and Southern California Gas Co. offers tuition reimbursement to its 12,000 employees.

National University began offering an onsite degree program 20 years ago, with courses initially on military bases, says Nancy Rohland, director of enrollment. National works with corporations, the military and law enforcement agencies.

Rohland says the onsite BBA and MBA programs at McDonald's helped students move up the corporate ladder. They help employees "work towards a common goal and finish the program. This is a supportive environment; everybody motivates one another," she says. Rohland adds that employees apply what they learn at night to their daily jobs. Another advantage to employers who reimburse is the discount given for off-campus courses. Rohland says educational programs and reimbursements are incentives to keep employees in this strong economy. And enrolling in courses shows an employer that an employee wants to advance, says Rohland.

National also offers onsite business degree courses at the Chargers training center north of Qualcomm Stadium, says Troy Roland, university director of educational services. Courses for staff and players are scheduled from February through June. For players, courses prepare them for life after football.

National will begin an onsite program at Pacific Bell's Sorrento Valley location in September, says Steve Albrecht, a manager of Pacific Bell's Emerging Products Center in San Diego. At Qualcomm Inc., SDSU has offered an onsite MBA program that saw 32 employees receive their degrees last month.

The Qualcomm venture was the first partnership between SDSU and a business. Since then, SDSU's College of Business has offered off-campus MBA programs at Hewlett Packard and regionally in Sorrento Valley and Rancho Bernardo. A program begins in Carlsbad this fall, and SDSU has taken its program abroad. The MBA is offered in Taiwan and the university signed an agreement in mid-July to offer it in China, reports Michael Hergert, dean of the College of Business.

"We take what we do on campus and repackage it or move it. (In Asia) the students love it. It’s cheaper than moving here. It’s brought to you. It’s the same for Merrill Lynch," says Hergert.

Science Applications International Corp. offers tuition reimbursement and onsite computer-based training, says Emitte Scruggs, director of corporate staffing. "Employees on their own time go online and take courses. Subjects include Microsoft Office, Power Point, C++ and Java," he says. Other courses cover topics such as employee relations for managers. SAIC employs close to 4,500 employees in San Diego and 45,000 nationwide. International training reflects the employee-ownership network, says Ron Zollars, director of public affairs. Company-wide courses include ongoing ethics training given every other year.

The University of Phoenix has offered undergraduate and graduate business programs for more than four years at the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station, says Bruce Williams, San Diego campus director. The university also teaches onsite at the 32nd Street Naval base.

In addition, University of Phoenix was the preferred provider for the AT&T School of Business Articulation agreement. The agreement involves the university reviewing business training in areas such as management. Training is measured against subject proficiencies to award comparable course units for undergraduate and graduate programs. The university has articulation agreements with companies including Xerox and Motorola. United States International University has several types of business partnerships, says Mink Stavenga, dean of the College of Business Administration. The first is BITAP, the Business and Tuition Assistance Program that matches up to 25 percent of tuition costs when an employer doesn’t provide full reimbursement.

Last January USIU started the Global Logistics Specialist program, one year for a professional title that could be compared to the CPA. The GLS program licensed through California State University, Long Beach partners USIU with the Port of San Diego and Sony. Both have underwritten the plan which results in discounts for students, says Stavenga. Fall could see the GLS program offered onsite, says Stavenga. He noted that the USIU offers a software project management professional certificate in conjunction with the San Diego Software Industry Council.

Ericsson offers onsite video master's of science in engineering classes through the University of Southern California, says Tony Chartrand, vice president of human resources. "There's a nice enrollment, it’s very popular," he says. In January, the Ericsson Academy for Business and Technology opened for employees with courses in business and technology, including software management.

Ericsson also has a worldwide competence program that involves employees mapping out a plan for learning and growing that started about six years ago requiring "employees to stay current." Employees develop plans and Ericsson offers internal and external resources. These include seminars and job rotation in the 140 countries with Ericsson facilities, says Chartrand.

The future will bring more partnerships between universities and businesses. Karnyski at Nokia and Ashton at Sempra are organizing education fairs in August at their workplaces. Warschauer says SDSU's certified financial planning program will be offered this fall for people working downtown, and SDSU plans an online MBA program in the fall.

National University will provide onsite courses for Gateway in the fall, and is working toward online Microsoft certification, says Roland. Furthermore, the University of San Diego’s business school is exploring partnerships with businesses and the Navy, says Stephani Richards-Wilson, assistant director of the graduate business program.

In addition to formal training, Judy Thompson says self-evaluation is important to career advancement. "Know yourself and what your goals are. Just because someone is in the same profession, you don’t have the same goals. Make sure the fit’s there," she says.

Also experienced at bringing classes to the workplace is Keller Graduate School of Management. Keller can provide corporate education, customizing programs and training for up to 10 weeks for credit. In addition, they can provide corporate training (non-credit) and have done this on project management for the Navy.

Promotion-minded professionals should stick with an education program. But they also should stay in a position at least two years. That stability looks good to a potential employer. Avoid job hopping, leaving only for a "very good reason," says Thompson. Try to work out personality conflicts because changing jobs won’t eliminate the possibility of personality clashes.